Augusta charter committee proposes first major changes for city government
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The heavy lifting is now underway for the Charter review committee. It's the first proposal altering the government structure.
'That way, our city administrator or manager, if you will, doesn't have to be pulled 11 different directions to decide what she should be doing,' said Steve Foushee of the Charter Review Committee.The proposed new organizational chart would have just the Mayor Pro-Tem, elected by the commission, provide direction to the administrator. Right now, it's the mayor and ten commissioners.'It's not a bad idea when you have too many voices trying to exert their influence it does make it very complicated to do your job,' said Sheffie Robinson, Committee member.'The first reading is always going to have some controversy with it this one has some so we'll work our way through it,' said Lonnie Wimberly, Committee member.The proposal also calls for the mayor to have veto power over commission actions.'There are many effective forms of government that give the mayor veto power and I think if he had veto power, the commission would work better with him to accomplish objectives,' said Foushee.'I don't think the citizens would stand for that right now. I think you're going to have to convince them to give the mayor a veto,' Wimberly.
This committee's job is to recommend changes to the charter, but is one too big to be proposed this early?
'Not at all, spent the last two and a half months reading through several thousand pages. Big legalese stuff. It's time to get on with the duty,' said Committee Chair Marcie Wilhelmi.So starting now, change is in the wind when it comes to the city Charter.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Advance voting ends in Columbia County Special Primary for Public Service Commission
EVANS, Ga. (WJBF) – Advance voting in Columbia County came to an end Friday after 16 days of early voting in the Special Primary Election for the Public Service Commission. According to the Columbia County Board of Elections, 183 people voted on the last day of early voting, bringing the total of 939 early votes being cast in-person for the election. There is no voting over the weekend or on Monday. Those who plan to vote Tuesday, June 17, 2025 must go to their assigned election day polling location. To find your assigned election day polling location, call the office at (706) 868-3355 or visit the 'My Voter Page' website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Mass. Rep. Lynch calls for Trump's DHS chief to face Congress over senator who was detained
Top Democrats on the powerful U.S. House Oversight Committee are calling for President Donald Trump's homeland security secretary to appear before Congress to explain why federal agents detained a U.S. senator from California. And they want her hit with a subpoena if she does not agree to appear voluntarily, they said. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th District, the panel's acting ranking Democrat, was among the lawmakers who made that request in a letter to U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the committee. Video of Padilla, the Golden State's senior U.S. senator, being forcibly removed from a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went viral on Thursday, provoking outrage among his fellow Democrats. The videos showed officers aggressively pushing Padilla out of Noem's news conference in a Los Angeles federal building and eventually restraining him on the floor outside the room. He was later released and not charged. '... We were disturbed to witness another shocking escalation of executive overreach by the Trump administration. While attempting to ask a question at a Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles, multiple videos show several seemingly unidentified plainclothes men whom we assume to be DHS agents violently push and pull Senator Padilla out of the room where the press conference was being held,' the lawmakers wrote in part. 'Once outside of the room, video shows agents—in this case, wearing FBI insignia — roughly push Senator Padilla to the ground in the hallway, twist his arms behind his back, and handcuff him," they continued. The letter calls on Comer to 'demand by June 14, 2025, that Secretary Noem appear before the Committee. If the Secretary does not commit by June 21, 2025, to such testimony, we urge you to issue a subpoena to compel her appearance before the Committee to answer to Congress and the American people.' Padilla has strongly denied the White House's claims, led by Noem, that he crashed the news conference and was initially believed to be a security threat. Videos show Padilla introducing himself and trying to ask a question before he was confronted by federal agents. The altercation came just days after U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey. In addition to Lynch, Democratic U.S. Reps. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, of Florida, and Summer Lee, of Pennsylvania, also signed the letter to Comer. 'This shocking encounter adds to a litany of alarming moves by the Trump administration to seize and abuse power, including by turning the military on the American people,' Lynch, of South Boston, and his colleagues wrote to Comer. 'The Trump administration has mobilized the military to the streets of an American city, and any other city could be next. The Trump Administration has violently tackled, kneeled on, and handcuffed a sitting U.S. senator, and any other American could be next,' they continued. 'The American people have questions, and we hope you will join us in bringing these dictatorial actions to account.' Associated Press reports are included in this story. Troops in the Streets, Questions in Congress: Mass. reckons with role of military in civil society Judge says Trump illegally deployed National Guard to help with LA protests, must return control to California Harvard researcher released from custody after months in detention President Donald Trump approval rating: Poll finds new low for Trump Here's who polling says is winning the fight between Trump and Newsom Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Augusta charter committee proposes first major changes for city government
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The heavy lifting is now underway for the Charter review committee. It's the first proposal altering the government structure. 'That way, our city administrator or manager, if you will, doesn't have to be pulled 11 different directions to decide what she should be doing,' said Steve Foushee of the Charter Review proposed new organizational chart would have just the Mayor Pro-Tem, elected by the commission, provide direction to the administrator. Right now, it's the mayor and ten commissioners.'It's not a bad idea when you have too many voices trying to exert their influence it does make it very complicated to do your job,' said Sheffie Robinson, Committee member.'The first reading is always going to have some controversy with it this one has some so we'll work our way through it,' said Lonnie Wimberly, Committee proposal also calls for the mayor to have veto power over commission actions.'There are many effective forms of government that give the mayor veto power and I think if he had veto power, the commission would work better with him to accomplish objectives,' said Foushee.'I don't think the citizens would stand for that right now. I think you're going to have to convince them to give the mayor a veto,' Wimberly. This committee's job is to recommend changes to the charter, but is one too big to be proposed this early? 'Not at all, spent the last two and a half months reading through several thousand pages. Big legalese stuff. It's time to get on with the duty,' said Committee Chair Marcie starting now, change is in the wind when it comes to the city Charter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
